


Once Bitten and Twice Shy

by bakane



Series: The Next Chapter [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bumblebee in chapter four, Christmas, F/F, Family Drama, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-19 17:49:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17606039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bakane/pseuds/bakane
Summary: Being alone and single during the holidays wasn't easy for anyone. It was particularly difficult for Yang this year, who had just broken up with her girlfriend. Instead of a date, she'd have to opt for a night alone, living vicariously through Ruby, who was closer to being in a committed relationship than she ever would be. Next year, Yang hoped, December wouldn't suck as much.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Last Christmas  
> I gave you my heart  
> But the very next day you gave it away.  
> This year  
> To save me from tears  
> I'll give it to someone special.
> 
> -Last Christmas by Wham!

It was the box. It was unmistakably  _the_  box.

An unpleasant surprise hit Yang on the morning of Christmas Eve. Ruby walked into the kitchen, her legs wobbling as she carried something very large and heavy in her arms.

"I found this sitting outside our doorstep," Ruby said as she turned to look at her sister. "Who do you think it's for?"

Yang stewed in silence. Oh, she knew exactly who it was for and what was inside. There was no need to play their usual "What's in the box?" routine. No, this time she knew for certain.

After all, she had been the one to have it wrapped. It was the same package Yang had dropped off at somebody else's doorstep just yesterday. Now, after a single night of sleep, it had returned back to her front porch, still neatly wrapped with a bow.

Yang let out a short sigh. "Don't worry about it, sis. It's mine."

"It's yours?" Ruby asked, looking curious. "Well, what is it?"

"Something stupid," Yang muttered, as she tore it away from Ruby’s hands.

Ruby glanced between Yang and the mystery box but chose not to inquire any further. Yang didn’t look like she wanted to talk about it, and Ruby preferred not to press matters that would clearly upset her older sister.

"So…? What are your big plans for Christmas Eve?" Ruby decided to subtly change the subject. "You didn't tell me."

"I'm not so sure," Yang mumbled, before seeing an odd smile on Ruby's face. Her cheeks were rosy with color and her mouth was twitching, barely containing an extraordinary amount of glee.

"And what about you?" Yang asked, taking a sip of her coffee as she noted. "You're even cheerier than usual. And that's saying a lot."

"Oh! Now that you mention it… Weiss is coming over and picking me up this afternoon!" Ruby squeaked, as if she were dying to tell the news since she had woken up this morning.

"We’re going out for brunch, which I'm not  _too_ crazy about,” she went on, “but then Weiss promised that we could have dessert at this great place that has the best chocolate chip cookies ever! And then we're going to this pretty little ice rink Weiss's friend owns, though I totally don't know how to skate and-"

"Okay, okay!" Yang laughed, appreciating how little to no effort was needed on Ruby's part to cheer her up. "I get it. You're going to have a great old time with your girlfriend."

That shut Ruby up, the color of her cheeks now a shade of scarlet.

"Weiss is  _not_ my girlfriend!"

"Oh really?" Yang chuckled. "Sure, because what you just said doesn't qualify as a date, right?"

"It doesn't! I'm telling you, we're just friends," Ruby said in a disgruntled tone. "Besides… Weiss never said she was interested in me like  _that_ before."

"You're  _still_ waiting for her to say something?" Yang's eyes widened, stunned at the thickness of her sister's head. "Ruby, she gave you, like, a gazillion signs already! Remember when she gave you those tiny heart-shaped chocolates for your birthday? And remember, when you were sick with the flu? I had to go back to work, but who came over to our house with a full pack of beer in one hand and hot porridge in the other to save the day?"

"What?" Ruby furrowed her brows. "Why would she bring over beer?"

"That's not the important part," Yang said with the flick of her hand. "The point is, Weiss has been going out of her way to make those stupid little hints you keep looking for. And any  _normal_ person would have gotten the message already. So if you don't want to take my word for it..."

Yang took out her phone from the back pocket of her pants. "You'll have to hear it from her."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no... Yang!" Ruby watched in absolute horror as her sister began to dial. But Yang laughed and ignored her, turning up the phone’s volume to speaker mode.

"...Hello?" A drowsy voice picked up, after a while. Ruby froze on the spot.

"Aw, does the Ice Queen need more beauty sleep?" Yang drawled.

"Who is this?" the voice mumbled back.

"Geez, Weiss. You mean you have other people calling you the Ice Queen all the time?"

"...Yang Xiao Long, why are you calling me at such an ungodly hour?" Weiss growled.

"It's seven in the morning." Yang frowned. "It's hardly a bad time to call."

"It's seven in the morning on a _Saturday_. On Christmas Eve, I might add.” Weiss, though still groggy from sleep, never missed her chance to argue with Yang. "To any sane working adult on holiday, that would be the textbook definition of a bad time to call."

"Sheesh. Ruby, how do you always deal with this much sass?" Yang looked to her sister, who was now burning red from anger and embarrassment. "Okay, princess. If you want me to call you later, I'll do that."

"You've already woken me up," Weiss snapped. "Now tell me. What is it that you want?"

"It’s nothing! I just wanted to make sure that you're all set for today." Yang grinned. "You know, for your epic  _date_  with my baby sister?"

There was a short pause, as both sisters listened intently for Weiss's incoming reply.

"Yes. I suppose I am," she said eventually. Cutting to the chase was, in fact, the Weiss Schnee way of dealing with any important affairs.

Ruby let a strange high-pitched squeal.

"Oh, so you are in fact admitting that Weiss Schnee is taking Ruby Rose, my cute but honestly a bit dorky little sister, out for a date today? For the _whole_ day, on Christmas Eve?"

"Yes," Weiss said shortly. A hint of impatience was present in her voice again.

"I am not a dork!" Ruby mouthed furiously.

"Just to make sure, princess. Now, one more time. In case, I wasn't clear enough. You are most definitely going on a textbook definition date with Ruby, not as friends but as a quote-on-quote girl-"

"Yang. Put Ruby on the phone," Weiss demanded.

"She catches on quick,” Yang smirked. “Unlike somebody I know."

Ruby's eyes were as big as saucers now.

"Hey, Weiss! Uh... Good evening, I mean, morning! To what do I owe the pleasure?" Ruby laughed in a nervous way. "I was totally not listening in by the way. That weird sound in the background was Zwei. You know how he gets when we hide the treats in the top pantry and-"

"Ruby," Weiss sighed. "It is way too early in the morning for me to be listening to one of your infamous rants."

"Right. Sorry," Ruby mumbled sheepishly.

"I hope you know that our relationship has been different ever since that New Year's party we both attended,” began Weiss, in an oddly stiff fashion. “We were both a little…inebriated, and did some things I’d rather not discuss over the phone."

Ruby gulped.

"So, I have decided on pursuing you with full romantic intentions because I can't seem to get you out of my head, no matter how hard I try. And  _believe_   _me_ , I've tried." Weiss sighed in defeat. "I'm not going to sit around in my house all day, waiting. Because, Ruby Rose? I am officially asking you to spend Christmas Eve with me this year. Not as acquaintances, not even as _friends_ , but as two individuals ready to start a fully committed relationship with each other."

The room became silent, with Yang trying her damned hardest not to laugh. Honestly, the Ice Queen was so endearing sometimes, she thought.

Ruby appeared to have entered into a light daze. Her eyes wide, mouth opened in awe.

"Um... Ruby?" Weiss tried, wondering if she’d been disconnected somehow.

"Right! Uh, I'm here!" Ruby coughed.

"I'm sorry. Was that too forward? Would you like me to...cancel our plans for today?" Weiss asked, sounding thoroughly uncertain.

"Of course not!" Ruby said rather quickly. "I was just surprised, that's all!"

"Surprised?" Weiss groaned. "I have sent out several meaningful indications!"

"Well, you tend to be cryptic!" Ruby replied, though sounding not very convincing.

"I am never cryptic!" Weiss denied hotly before adding, "So you are saying yes?"

"Yes to today's date?"

"Of course to today's date! What else would I be asking for?" Weiss yelled in exasperation.

"Your hand in marriage?" Yang coyly suggested from behind.

"Yes, I am saying yes to today's date!" Ruby shouted, glaring at Yang as she did so.

"Okay, you dunce. I'll pick you up at ten." And without another word, Weiss hung up the call.

"Wow. Now that was intense." Yang burst into a fit of laughter. "I hope she never finds out that she was on speaker phone the entire time! Man, you guys are so adorable together!”

But Ruby wasn't listening. It didn't take long for Yang to notice the tell-tale signs of panic and distress.

"Oh my god! Yang! I'm going on a date! With Weiss! In..." Ruby glanced over at the clock and her jaws dropped open. "In two hours and fifty-six minutes! I need to get ready!"

"Uh..." was all Yang could say. After all, for any normal human being, two hours and fifty-six minutes would be an excessive amount of time needed to prepare for a date.

"I have nothing to wear! I was just going to wear my red hoodie and snow boots!" Ruby looked down at her current outfit in complete indignation. "But what if the restaurant she reserved is super-duper fancy? I am not prepared for that kind of stuff and I DO NOT OWN A COCKTAIL DRESS!"

"Whoa. Calm down, Ruby!” Yang said, gently patting her hyperventilating sister on the back. "Okay, first of all, even if this is Weiss we're talking about, all business and no fun-"

"Hey!"

"-I don't think she expects you to attend a suit-and-tie event with her today, so you're going to be fine without that cocktail dress," Yang joked, trying to lighten the mood. "That seems more like a fourth or fifth date type of thing for the princess."

"But you still need to help me get ready!" Ruby moaned. "I'm not like you, Yang. I have no idea how to act on a date. I mean, I’m such a joke! I’m clumsy. I talk too much. I always mess up when I really like someone and I really,  _really_ like Weiss.”

Ruby’s face twisted in horror. “What if I say all the wrong things and she changes her mind?"

"You are not a joke," Yang said firmly in response. "And if you were going to scare off that girl, I think you would have done it a lot sooner than today."

Ruby glared at her, not following the joke.

"Remember the day you two met?" Yang prompted. "You know, the day you almost gave me a heart attack?"

 

* * *

 

_It was a regular day at the automobile shop. Business had been good, enough to keep Yang busy for a few hours._

_Yang worked under the sun, peering into engines of dusty, broken-down cars. In the middle of July, however, perhaps it wasn't the best choice._

_She slammed the hood of an old Toyota shut and stepped back into the garage for a short break. She pulled out her phone, checking to see if she’d received any messages._

_Immediately, a score of notifications popped up: a couple missed calls and one recorded voice message._

_It had all been from Ruby, which Yang found a bit unsettling. Her sister knew better than to try reaching her during work hours. It would have to be an absolute emergency._

_Feeling a little uneasy, Yang listened to her most recent voicemail._

_"Hey, Yang! It's me, Ruby. Uh, the thing is… I've been in a small accident… Could you come over here and sign some forms? I'm at the hospital on-"_

 

* * *

 

"I panicked, as any older sister would." Yang shrugged. "But you sounded fine over the phone, so I calmed myself down and went over to the hospital to pick you up."

_"RUBY ROSE! Who taught you to leave messages like that? Been in an accident? Come and sign some forms? What the hell is wrong with you?"_

_A few nurses scurried out of the way, cowering as a very sweaty and a very angry-looking Yang charged towards the hospital bed._

_"Now, tell me where it hurts! Are you in any pain? Did you break any bones? Who do I need to beat up?"_

 

* * *

 

"Yeah... You took it  _really_  well." Ruby rolled her eyes.

"Oh, shut up."

 

* * *

 

_"I'm fine, sis! I swear!" Ruby tried. She would have sounded a lot more convincing if she hadn't been lying down with her right arm bandaged into a neat cast. "It’s just a broken bone, that's all. And a very minor, minor concussion..."_

_"Concussions aren’t minor,” Yang growled, "Tell me what happened. Now."_

_"Okay, okay," Ruby conceded, deciding that she would have to tell the story eventually. "So, after classes, I was sitting at the Pink Lotus Ice Cream parlor ordering my usual."_

_"Three scoops of triple fudge ice cream with extra syrup and sprinkles on top," Yang remembered, no longer fazed by Ruby's ridiculously exorbitant sweet tooth._

_"And as I was enjoying my little bowl of heaven," Ruby paused, smacking her lips together at the memory. "In came this girl..."_

 

* * *

 

"I still remember it as clear as yesterday," Yang said happily, simmering in the light of the memory. "The day my sister finally voiced her opinion... About a girl she wanted to bang."

"Yang!" Ruby exclaimed. "That is not what I said at all!"

"Nope!” she laughed at the thought. "What you said was more along the lines of..."

 

* * *

 

_"So, this girl walks in and her entire head is white. I don't mean like old grandma white, but all shiny and silky white," Ruby said hurriedly as if she wanted to make sure Yang was getting an accurate impression of this girl._

_"Anyways, she came in looking all confused since there are like a thousand different flavors to choose from at that place."_

_"Sixteen flavors,” she corrected, “but go on."_

_"Well, maybe I wanted an excuse to talk to her, okay?" Ruby huffed. "Anyways, I go up to her and give her a small tap on the shoulder. She turns around and I see that she has THE prettiest, bluest eyes I've ever seen in my life! So naturally, I freeze up."_

_"Uh oh." Yang groaned, knowing all too well how Ruby was with social interactions. She was nice and friendly, of course. But whenever she tried too hard to make a good first impression, her words came out in moron._

_"Basically, I'm standing there, staring at her, like a complete IDIOT. And of course, she gets spooked by this totally creepy stranger ogling her. So she finally snaps and asks me what I want! And I... I shouted anything that came to mind!" Ruby moaned, burying her face into the bed. Whatever she said next came out indecipherable through the blankets._

_"Which was?" Yang asked, waiting for a reiteration._

_"Napkins!" Ruby sat back up, gasping the word like a ball of air. "In the middle of the whole store, I yelled out NAPKINS!"_

_"And what did the girl do?" Yang asked, trying very hard not to laugh._

_"Well, she looked at me, like I was crazy for a couple of seconds. Then she grabbed the box of tissues next to her and passed it down to me."_

_"Okay... So you got your napkins." Yang tried to remain positive. "That doesn't sound too bad?"_

_"Trust me, it gets worse," Ruby forewarned. "After she passed me the napkins, I didn't have any excuses left to talk to her! So I was going back to my seat to finish up my dessert. But then I saw her leave and I realized she’d forgot some of her change money on the counter. Obviously, I decided to pick it up and run after her. She didn't exactly hear me as she left, so I followed her out."_

_"Go on." Yang nodded slowly, still unsure how a broken arm managed to fit itself into the equation._

_"I may have opened the door a bit too quickly...” Ruby cringed. “It slammed against the wall, scaring her, and she kind of lost her balance...over some stairs."_

_Ruby lowered her head, a mixture of shame and guilt settling in her eyes._

_"Oh my god, Ruby." Yang gasped in horror. "Did you kill her?"_

_"What? No! No, of course not! I caught her before she fell down! But, uh, I couldn't exactly find my own footing either." Ruby laughed nervously. "Hence, the cast."_

_Yang squeezed the bridge of her nose. "So… Where is this girl now?"_

_"Ahem."_

_Yang turned around, just in time to see an attractive young woman walk into the room. Ruby's description had been essentially correct. Yang noticed her white hair, pulled back into a long ponytail draping over her shoulders. And indeed, a pair of sharp blue eyes gazed over at them._

_She was of petite stature, though the way she held herself, back straight and shoulders upright, established an air of authority that not even Yang could deny._

_For some reason, she didn't seem unfamiliar either._

 

* * *

 

"Yeah. The princess had a pretty big stick up her ass when we first met," Yang grumbled. "Still does, but it's a lot more bearable now."

Ruby disagreed. "She was being perfectly nice,” she argued.

 

* * *

 

_"I don't think I will ever be able to understand why you chased me outside the shop or why you decided to hurtle yourself down a flight of stairs,” the girl spoke without an ounce of affection or gratitude. "But I suppose you did save me from a couple of trying injuries, so I charged the hospital bill to my account. I believe that this will be enough to settle the matter?"_

_She stared at them as if daring the two to go against any of her words._

 

* * *

 

"Nope, she was being an asshole," Yang countered, "and I was being the best wing-woman ever."

 

* * *

 

 _"Uh... Yeah! That sounds perfect. You’re perfect. Thank you so much," Ruby went on feverishly._ _Yang, meanwhile, decided to uphold her sister's prior courage and rose from her seat._

_"Hey!" Yang said as she walked up to her. "My baby sister has a broken arm because of you and that's all you can say?"_

_"She's hardly a baby." The girl scoffed, her arms crossed and locked in position. "And if she didn't startle me in the first place, I wouldn't have fallen."_

_"So she opened the door really loudly, big deal!" Yang dismissed. "How hard is it to keep your two feet on the ground?"_

_"Then what exactly are you suggesting that I do?" she questioned with a scowl._

_Yang narrowed her eyes at her. Then, suddenly, broke out into a huge grin, startling the other down as she asked: "How old are you?"_

_"Excuse me?" The girl took a step back, pondering if madness ran in the family._

_"How old are you?" Yang repeated with more force._

_"Twenty-three," she answered through gritted teeth._

_"And your name?"_

_There was another indignant pause._

_"Your name, princess?" Yang asked again, this time with a wily leer._

_Her face hardened. "My name is Weiss Schnee,” she answered stiffly._

_There was a moment of silence, as Ruby stared tensely between her sister and her mystery crush._

_And then-_

_"Holy shit!" Yang backed away quickly. "You're Weiss-fucking-Schnee! I knew I saw you from somewhere!"_

_Weiss turned away in disgust, not bothering to dignify Yang's profanity with a response._

"Okay, maybe not the  _best_ wing-woman ever," Yang added reluctantly, as Ruby had been soundlessly glaring at her. "But still, I'm better than most!"

_"Who?"_

_The word echoed across the room, earning Ruby a reaction not only from her older sister but also from her honored guest as well._

_"Ruby! This is Weiss Schnee!” Yang explained, not quietly. “The Schnee family, you know? The big business tycoons of the diamond industry?"_

_Ruby looked up at them. Innocent eyes blinking once, and then twice._

_Yang sighed as she put into simpler terms. "You almost offed an heiress to the richest company in this country!"_

 

* * *

 

"And then you proceeded to spew out a dozen more apologies, at the end of which, she gave you her business card before leaving the hospital in a fussy fit," Yang happily recalled. "Best how-your-mommies-met-each-other-story I can tell my nephews and nieces in the future."

"How was this supposed to cheer me up again?" Ruby moaned, rubbing the side of her head.

"The point of this story was that you made a complete ass of yourself the first time you guys met and she still stuck around-”

“Gee, thanks.”

“-and that's not because Weiss is the most tolerant, forbearing person out there. Because let's face it, she's not." Yang put her arm around Ruby’s shoulder. "She stuck around because you _are_  special. Socially awkward or not, you're lovable in your own way! You don't have to try and be someone you're not."

Ruby nodded slowly, like she was beginning to understand.

"Besides," Yang winked, "being irresistibly charming and dressing provocatively is kind of my thing. And I’d appreciate it if you didn't take that away from me."

"Thanks, sis." Ruby smiled genuinely. "I think that actually helped.”

"No problem." Yang flashed her a toothy grin.

"And Yang?"

"Yeah?"

"There's just two hours and forty-nine minutes left now."

"Oh, for fuck's sake."


	2. Chapter 2

It was nearing the end of December and the streets were below freezing. Grabbing her keys and a few things from her car, Weiss stepped out into the cold.

She listened to the snow, crunching underneath her heels as she walked forward. In less than a minute, she was at the front door to Ruby’s house. She pressed the doorbell and waited.

There was a lot of noise coming from the inside, frantic shouts, and scuffling feet. Her eyebrows rose in question as the door opened, but only by a quarter of an inch.

"Who is it?" asked an overly jolly voice.

"It's Weiss," she answered plainly.

"Leave the milk bottle in the usual spot, Jaune!" Yang pointed to the front porch.

"Yang," Weiss began to drawl, having little patience for such frivolous nonsense.

"I'm sorry, but who is this?" Yang called out again, this time faking ignorance.

"I have your beer, you brute. Now open the door!"

Her words worked like magic, as the door swung open at a dangerously alarming speed. It quite narrowly missed the tip of her nose. Weiss scowled as she took a step back, glaring up at Ruby’s sister, who was (in sharp contrast) positively beaming.

"Well, why didn't you start with that?" Yang said contently, and mockingly. "Come in! Come in! You’ll catch your death standing out there."

Weiss didn't bother to reply, silently passing the six cold pack into Yang’s awaiting arms. She had picked it up the night before, ensuring her safe passage into the Xiao Long household. The first time Yang had laid out the ground rules, Weiss had made the mistake of not taking her words too seriously. When she visited the house, absent of alcohol, Yang refused to open the door for her, forcing a furious Weiss to drive out to the nearest store before being able to see Ruby.

But Weiss hadn't mentioned this to her date, as the exchange had been somewhat of a secret between the two of them. And now, Weiss began to see the strange logic behind the idea as well.

All forms of liquor were prohibited at the Xiao Long-Rose residence. Ruby had told her several stories of a drunk blonde, unintentionally punching holes into walls or setting stoves on fires.

Ruby, for once being the sensible one, took action and created a new golden rule: "No alcohol inside the house, like ever."

But desperate times called for desperate measures, Yang had said. In exchange for “allowing” Weiss to spend time with her sister, Weiss would provide the substance needed to keep the blonde distracted. It was a common fact that the two didn't see eye-to-eye on many matters.

"Where's Ruby?" Weiss asked, watching Yang as she busy hid the beer underneath a pile of coats.

"Here I am!" a voice shouted from behind. In a flash, Ruby had turned up by her side, eyes sparkling and her mouth panting out of breath. She was wearing a pair of navy blue pants and a warm wool sweater on top.

And before Weiss can even ask if she was ready, Ruby was standing by the front door, like a puppy waiting to be let out for a walk.

"I'm ready! Let's go!" Ruby said excitedly. Weiss tried her best not to smile.

"All right." Weiss cleared her throat. "I suppose we'll be leaving then."

"Actually, your girlfriend and I need to talk about something for a second," Yang said, taking and throwing Weiss's keys at Ruby, who blinked in slight confusion. "Wait in the car, would you?"

"Okay?" Ruby said rather reluctantly, turning towards the door. "But you better not be threatening Weiss to smuggle beer in here again."

"I may have slipped up," Yang whispered to Weiss, before flashing another wide innocent smile. "Wouldn't dream of it, sis!"

With an unsatisfied grunt, Ruby walked out onto the porch. As soon as the door closed, Weiss passed Yang a wary glance. "I'm assuming this has nothing to do with our alcohol agreement since I already helped you illegally import liquor into the house?"

"Nope, no beating around the bush this time,” said Yang, all hints of prior cheeriness gone. Weiss had forgotten how frightening Yang was capable of looking, not since their first meeting when they had been too close for her comfort.

"I want to hear your exact intentions with Ruby,” demanded Yang.

"I intend to date her?" Weiss replied wittily.

"I'm not joking around this time," Yang said humorlessly, and Weiss didn't need any more verification than that. "How serious are you about this?"

"Pretty serious," she mumbled, staring down at the ground.

"This is my baby sister, okay?” Yang argued. “Believe it or not, you're not the first person I had to have this conversation with."

Weiss tried her very best not to be bothered by this fact.

"But you are the first girl Ruby has ever been  _this_  crazy about,” Yang seemed to relent.

“You don’t sound very thrilled about that,” she grumbled.

"Hey. Don't get me wrong, Weiss.” Yang frowned. “I like you, even if we are as different as night and day."

"Oh really?" Weiss responded dryly. For many reasons, she found this hard to believe. She thought back to the handful of times they had spent time together – all of Yang’s distasteful jokes and occasional insults. She always presumed that she was merely tolerated, never truly accepted, for Ruby's sake.

"To be fair, I did think that you were some entitled little rich girl who would play around with my sister's heart," Yang confessed, confirming Weiss’s fears. "But the way Ruby talks about you, and the way you act around Ruby... I've seen and heard enough to know that you care about her. You're a good person, Weiss."

The sincerity in Yang's voice caught her off-guard.

"You guys were friends for more than a year.” Yang shrugged. “You know how Ruby is, what she's like with other people. She's an open book. Anyone can see that you're not a passing phase for her. She likes you, like, a lot. And I think you know that too."

Soundlessly, Weiss nodded in response.

"So I need to hear that, if you're going in this, you're going in it with all that you've got." Yang sighed to herself. "I'm not trying to drive you away or pressure you, or anything, really. I just need you to promise me that you won't ever hurt my little sister."

Weiss felt the tension in her stomach rising. Moments passed until she finally couldn't take the weight of it any longer.

"You are being the overbearing drama queen as usual," Weiss huffed.

Yang seemed too surprised to even remember how to look angry.

"Yes. Ruby and I are going to be a new and inexperienced couple. We are going to have our fights, and there are going to be disagreements like all partners have. I can't promise you that I won't hurt your sister in any way because, as you are well aware, I can be a bit,” Weiss paused, “difficult."

Yang's eyes narrowed at her words.

"But I will tell you this," Weiss hurried on. "I will treat your sister with nothing but love and respect. And I would never do anything that proves you otherwise, I promise."

The following silence would have normally been a nice welcome to Weiss. But as she was waiting for some sort of verbal permission to date Ruby, from Ruby's overprotective, ill-tempered older sister, she couldn't help but feel enormously uncomfortable, waiting desperately for Yang to say something.

"You’re right," Yang finally mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Weiss hoped that her ears were deceiving her.

"You’re right," repeated Yang, a familiar sparkle of light in her eyes. "I have no doubt that you’ll take great care of Ruby.”

“So… What was the point of this conversation?” Weiss frowned. “Were you just trying to intimidate me?”

“I figured we needed to talk, just the two of us.” Yang grinned. “Since I'll probably be seeing a lot more of you from now on. Better get used to it, princess."

"Are you suggesting that we should spend more time together?" Weiss asked slowly.

"I guess so," Yang hummed. "I mean, I like to spend a lot of my free time with my sister and I'm not about to relinquish all of that just because you showed up. And to do that, we have to learn how to get along. So you'll have to let some of my so-called 'ill habits of a savage barbarian' go, okay princess?"

"Hmm. I suppose I can do that,” Weiss said, frowning. “If you stop making those horrible jokes while I’m around.”

“Sure, sure.” Yang laughed again. “I'll try and dial it down.”

"And you'll drop the nicknames?" she asked hopefully.

"Not a chance, Ice Queen."

 

* * *

 

"Well, that took longer than I expected. What did you guys talk about?" Ruby asked as Weiss stepped into the car.

"Oh, nothing." Weiss let out a long sigh, feeling both tired and relieved that the conversation was over and done with.

"Are you sure she didn’t make you feel uncomfortable? Because I’ll totally beat her up for it if she did!" Ruby offered.

"No, not at all," Weiss replied, her cheeks warming at the concern. "You have a great sister, Ruby. Really _._ "

They turned their gaze back out the car window. The front door of the house was left wide open. A lightly-dressed Yang waved happily towards them, seemingly unperturbed by the cold.

Ruby grinned. "She is pretty great."

 

* * *

 

Yang watched the two of them drive out of the cul-de-sac. All of the joy and warmth seemed to disappear with their absence.

It made Yang painfully aware of just how far she was from finding someone special herself.

Yang walked back into the kitchen, to the spot where the over-sized gift box was collecting dust. She stared down at the present, unsure of what action to take now.

It almost looked like it was taunting her. She reached out, her hands ready to tear away, before stopping a second later. It seemed like a waste to rip it. Yang recalled how much trouble she had gone through to have the present wrapped and ready to go.

Yang felt a twinge of embarrassment as she remembered.

Actually, _she_ hadn't been the one to go through the hassle.

No, it had been somebody else...

 

* * *

 

_It was only two days before Christmas. The shopping mall, which had turbulently risen to life during the day, was calming down as the clock drew near closing time._

_Unfortunately, for a small gift wrapping station on the first floor, the day was far from over._

_"Stop! Wait! Wait! Wait!" A young woman was charging towards them, carrying a large, heavy blue box in her arms. The station trembled as the girl thrust it upon the wrapping table._

_"...One... Present...to go... Please," Yang wheezed, catching her breath after the thousand-meter dash she had just taken._

_"Salutations!" A friendly red-head addressed her almost immediately. "My name is Penny! How may I help you today?"_

_"Hi... Penny... This..." Yang managed to lift a tired finger, her voice still gasping for air. "Box."_

_"I'm sorry, but it is now half-past nineteen hundred hours. A minute has passed since we closed. Please visit us again tomorrow." Penny smiled cheerfully, seemingly not noticing the look of pure horror on Yang’s face._

_"No! You don't understand! I need to get this wrapped now!" Yang collected herself enough to say. "Please! I'm desperate here!"_

_"I'm sorry, but it is now-"_

_"Oh, come on!" Yang groaned. "It's only been a minute! Can't you cut me some slack? This thing weighs a ton, you know!"_

_Her aggression seemed to trigger some sort of defense mechanism in Penny. She frowned, hands folding into fists and her body moving into a strange battle stance. Penny didn't look intimidating at all, with her red and green apron, and a pink bow fastened at the back of her head._

_Still, Yang half-expected the girl to throw a karate chop at her head, before the two were interceded by a more even voice._

_"Penny, please stop," said the woman with long black hair._

_"Don't worry, Blake," Penny stated, holding her fists up in the air. "I'm combat ready!"_

_"That's quite all right. I got this." Blake smiled slightly, lowering the hands of her co-worker. "Why don't you go help General Ironwood clean up in the back?"_

_"Okay then!" Penny complied happily, but chose to throw one more look of heeding caution towards Yang before disappearing through the back door._

_This new girl, Blake, was almost as tall as Yang. She had amber eyes, both of which were staring at her with an anticipative look._

_Instead of saying a well-deserved "thank you" or even giving off a polite nod, the mysterious mind of Yang flew past the normal conventional greetings. Instead, she asked: "Who's General Ironwood?"_

_"He's the head manager here," Blake answered coolly. "It's a nickname, actually. He runs this place like the military, so the workers started calling him that and it caught on. I think he secretly likes being called the general though."_

_"Oh. Okay... So that explains the weird girl who tried to..." Yang had begun to joke but trailed off after noticing Blake's icy stare._

_"Yes?" Blake asked curtly, challenging the blonde to dare continue._

_"No, no! Not weird!" Yang waved her hands in the air, as if hoping her mistakes would go away. "I'm sorry! She was interesting, cool! That's all I meant! I didn’t mean to insult your friend."_

_“I understand.” Blake looked somewhat apologetic as well. "She is a bit eccentric, but she's very nice once you get to know her."_

_"And I believe you." Yang flashed her a convincing smile._

_Getting back to the task at hand, however, Blake looked down at the big object on top of the table. Her eyes widened ever-so-slightly in response._

_"This is an ice cooler?" she asked._

_"Uh... Yeah,” Yang coughed._

_Blake looked confused, but she didn’t ask for any further details. She tried to take the container by the handle, but it didn't even so much as budge._

_"What is inside of this cooler, may I ask?" Blake finally resolved to know._

_"Well..." With an embarrassed sigh, Yang settled on opening the lid. She motioned the girl forward, giving her permission to peek inside. Blake squinted, peeking into the cold receptacle before looking up at Yang’s face._

_"It's ice cream.”_

_If they had been close friends, Yang would have laughed at the look of sheer incredulity on Blake's face. Yet, seeing as she wasn't, Yang just smiled sheepishly, musing over how crazy she might be coming across on a scale of one to ten._

_"I've got to say, this is by far the weirdest thing I've had to wrap up," Blake said, a bit playfully. "Actually no, there had been a girl here yesterday wanting a bear skin rug decorated with flowers for her fiancé."_

_"Well, love makes people do the craziest things," Yang chuckled._

_"So, this is a Christmas present for your boyfriend too? Ten tons of Neapolitan ice cream?" Blake also laughed, though not rudely._

_"Ex-girlfriend, actually." Yang didn't know why she felt the need to correct the stranger. "We had a big fight recently but I think I found a way to turn it all around."_

_Blake simply hummed in response. "Okay. Well, if that's what you want, you'll have to help me carry this first."_

_"No problem," Yang assured her with confidence. She lifted the container up with both hands. "Where to?"_

_Blake motioned for her to come around the table. Out of a few leftover boxes, she found one big enough to fit the cooler. Yang grunted as she hauled the container over and gently placed it inside._

_"Any color preference for the wrapping paper?"_

_"Uh... Do you have anything in pink, white, and brown?" Yang asked, sounding optimistic._

_Blake pulled off two colorful rolls from the shelf. "We only have white and pink. But I can put a brown ribbon on top."_

_Blake sat down on the floor as she worked. Yang stood awkwardly by as she watched._

_"So..." Yang started, trying to fill the silence with a little small talk. "Any plans for tomorrow?"_

_"Hopefully not working at a mall," Blake smirked. "People are crazy around the holiday season."_

_"How so?"_

_"Oh, you know, busy parents rushing to get that new video game for their bawling six-year-old son who doesn't know Santa isn't real yet. Lazy friends and co-workers wanting the prettiest wrapping paper here to cover up the fact that they picked up last-minute gifts at Wal-Mart." Blake looked up at Yang as well. "Or people with large containers of ice cream, wanting them wrapped up and ready to go with a bow."_

_"Yeah, I guess I do come off as a bit insane." Yang scratched the back of her head._

_"It's sweet," Blake told her with a smile. "Voila,” she said, as she finished tying the perfect bow._

_"Great! It’s- Wow. That looks amazing!" Yang offered her a hand, pulling Blake back up to her feet as she fished around her jacket for some extra change. “How much for your services again?”_

_"It's fine. We were closed for today anyway,” said Blake, flashing Yang a genuine smile. "Now you go and get your girl back."_

 

* * *

 

Yang sprung to her feet at the memory.

Where had the confidence gone from that day? That day when she had admittedly coerced a poor girl into wrapping up a box of ice cream after hours?

This wasn't a trivial problem, but that never stopped her from trying to fix things before.

She hauled the present over her shoulders and raced out into the garage

With a couple of sturdy ropes, the blonde secured the gift onto the back of her motorcycle. The engine roared into action, and without a moment of hesitation, Yang sped out into the bitter cold.

 

* * *

 

"That tasted amazing, Weiss!" Ruby bounced up and down as they exited the restaurant. She had emptied three plates at a morning buffet before noon.

"Chew slowly next time or you'll choke," Weiss told her, gently. She opened up a mint container and graciously offered one.

"Thanks." Ruby grinned and picked one out of the can. "I wish Yang could have tasted some of that stuff! Those English muffins were awesome! She’d have loved it."

"Should I go back and have some wrapped for her?" Weiss asked, frowning. "Though, it would get way too hard and stale to eat later on."

"Nah!" Ruby declined the offer. "She'll be full by the time we get back anyway. Knowing her, she's probably ordering some pizza right about now."

 

* * *

 

After approximately an hour or so, a frozen Yang finally arrived at the numbered street of her ex-girlfriend's house. She had the place memorized by heart.

She tossed her helmet off, hair flying wildly against the frigid breeze. Yang went around her motorcycle, restless as she unchained the present. She lugged it closer in her arms, walking it over to the front gates.

She didn’t even make it past the first garden gnome before she saw a scene that made her heart drop.

There was a brightly decorated Christmas tree, seen through the large living room window. Yang had told Neo, time and time again, to cover it up with curtains, providing some privacy. But the girl had never listened, saying that she enjoyed the busy view of the street. And now, through the clear glass, Yang could see plain as day.

Her ex-girlfriend. In the arms of another woman.

It was impossible. It had to be. It had barely been a week since their breakup.

But no, she was at the right house. This was the correct address. And Yang could see the unmistakable colors of her girlfriend's hair, something she had so proudly known.

She would confront her. Throw the damned present through the window, knocking the both of them unconscious. But the container in her arms felt heavy for the first time, the weight of it dragging her down onto the ground.

Why wasn't she angry? Why was her strength failing her, at this crucial moment? The one time when she truly wanted to punch, to injure, to hurt.

She was mad. She was _furious_. But no part of her body seemed to wish for anything more than to sit there silently in the snow.

Because she couldn't.

Because Yang saw the look on her Neo’s face, and she knew. She was happy. She was truly, gut-wrenchingly, happy without her. And she couldn't deprive anybody of that joy.

Yang swallowed, looking down at her hands, waiting for the tears to fall. But not a single drop did.

Perhaps, deep down, Yang knew that it wouldn't work between them.

She had fallen for Neo almost instantaneously. They had met on the train, with Yang clumsily tripping over the girl's umbrella as she moved to a different compartment. And at the last station, where the two had gotten off together, it had begun to pour, and Yang hadn’t been prepared for rainfall.

Though like summer love, it was fleeting and short, burning out faster than a cheap candlestick.

Months passed by with both in denial, both too stubborn to admit to themselves that they had made the wrong decision leaping in too fast. Fights became a norm, all of them ending with Yang storming out of the room as Neo outright refused to speak a single syllable. Communication grew poorer as they simply delayed time, the inevitable, with mindless physical pleasures, until one of them was able to break the cycle.

It had been Neo. Yang had been a stubborn coward until the end.

Yang began to wonder if she ever even truly loved her.

Calling it back to mind, the sentiment that drove her here hadn’t been love. She had yearned to reach the finish line, the happy ending, with someone, anyone, too soon. With a single rush of inspiration, Yang had raced to fill that container with ice cream, intoxicated with buoyant, bullish memories, forgetting the incompatibility, the pain, the anger, the rejection.

And she would suffer for it now.

 

* * *

 

"Honestly, Ruby..." Weiss grimaced. "These are the only times that I can actually believe you and Yang are indeed related."

"What? Don't 'Honestly-Ruby' me!" she wailed furiously. "He started it!"

The couple had been walking to their next destination when they had to take a short detour to the pharmacy upon Weiss’s irrefutable requests. The reason being that Ruby had injured herself while knocking down a drunken man twice her size.

It was a small, justifiable punishment – Ruby argued – for relentlessly hitting on her girlfriend as she had been momentarily distracted by the smell of freshly baked cookies.

It had been then, that Ruby fell over from the man's aggravated push. Nevertheless, Ruby had jumped back to her feet, kicking the man in the groin before grabbing her date's hand and making a run for it.

Weiss sighed as they sat down at the backend of the store. In one hand, she held a tube of ointment and with the other, she was cleaning the wound on Ruby’s bleeding forehead. Granted, it wasn't a big cut at all, but Weiss would not allow it to go untreated.

"Hold still,” she scolded a struggling Ruby.

"But it hurts..."

"Then you shouldn't have done anything in the first place!" Weiss snapped.

"He was hurting you!" Ruby responded, with equal inflexibility on the matter.

Weiss tilted her head, staring quietly at her girlfriend. She wasn't sure if she should be annoyed or touched. But Ruby made it easy for her, making it almost always the latter.

"I know. Thank you,” Weiss said quietly, before looking stern again. "Now, stop squirming and let me put on the Band-Aid!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Ruby giggled, moving her forehead closer to Weiss.

"Be careful from now on though, okay?" Weiss urged. "I don't want to see blood every time we go out somewhere."

"What are you talking about? I've never bled before!"

"You broke your arm when we first met, remember?" Weiss stated bluntly.

"Yeah, but that led me to you." Ruby grinned effortlessly. "So you shouldn't complain about that  _particular_ injury."

"All I'm saying is that I don't want to see you get hurt!" Weiss turned her head away, feeling the heat of her burning cheeks. "Your sister would have my head for  _sure_ if you went home with more than a broken arm or a small cut."

"Oh, come on." Ruby tossed her hand thoughtlessly in the air. "Yang can be pretty docile once you get to know her."

"I suppose your sister can be reasonable at times," Weiss agreed slowly, remembering her newly arranged agreement with the blonde.

"That's weird..." Ruby frowned as she remembered to check her phone. "I've sent Yang a couple of texts but she hasn't replied to any one of them."

"Are you sure she's at home?" Weiss asked, slightly surprised at the news. She assumed that Yang would be incredibly fast to reply to Ruby's messages, as usual with her obscene relationship tips.

"I don't know." Ruby sulked. "Whenever I asked her if she was going out, she changed the subject. She's been this way ever since she fought with her girlfriend last week. I hope nothing bad happened."

"Didn't you tell me they always fight?" Weiss tried to reason.

"They do. But this time it feels different..." Ruby brooded without another word.

Weiss frowned, taking Ruby's fidgety hands into her own. "Well, I'm sure she's fine."

"Yeah... I hope so."


	3. Chapter 3

"I need to tell you something."

Night had fallen already, the day cutting shorter into the deep winter. After a full afternoon of events, involving injuring perverts in the groin, eating an early dinner, and walking around in the park, Weiss had driven Ruby out to a small ice rink.

A few hours on skates wore the two out, so they chose to sit down on a neighboring park bench, enjoying the evening’s peace as the area grew steadily deserted.

Snow began to fall, landing softly on their coats. Neither of them minded, looking over as the park slowly turned into their version of a winter wonderland. It was a little while, until Ruby noticed that Weiss had been watching her.

"What is it?" she asked, seeing her breath in the cold air.

"Do you remember the day we first met?" Weiss quietly asked.

"Remember?" Ruby tossed out her right arm, reminding herself that it was no longer broken. "How could I forget?"

"As memorable as that was," Weiss smirked. "It's not the bit I was referring to. I'm talking about the part at the hospital. When you woke up and your sister came marching in, screaming at you to leave a more decent voicemail next time."

"Oh. Yeah, but..." Ruby was perplexed. "How did you know that?"

Weiss bit her lips, her eyebrows scrunching up at the middle. "Because I heard everything."

"Everything?" Ruby gulped.

"Everything." A short nod.

"Uh..." Words failed Ruby as she stared into Weiss’s eyes, recalling how humiliating the story had been when she told it to her sister.

"I'll admit, I was more surprised than flattered," Weiss carefully phrased her words. She remembered how disturbed she had been, wondering how terrible someone could be at making a good first impression.

"I asked you out for lunch later that week. Partly, because you were annoying me. But mostly because of this strange feeling inside my chest, telling me to meet with you again.” Weiss rolled her eyes. “Also, I  _did_  feel somewhat guilty about your injured arm."

Ruby recalled the exact moment she was in when she had received her first message from Weiss.

 

* * *

 

_"Yang! Yang! Yang, come out! What are you doing? I need you!" Ruby screamed through the door._

_"I'm in the bathroom! What do you think I'm doing?" An angry voice yelled in return._

_"She texted back! She actually texted me back! She says she wants to take me out to lunch! What do I do, Yang? What do I do?" Ruby pounded even harder on the door._

_"Goddammit, Ruby!"_

 

* * *

 

"I remember being really confused about whether or not you were asking me out on a date," Ruby admitted as she twiddled with her thumbs for a while.

 

* * *

 

_"I don't think this is a date."_

_"You're sure? You're sure you don't think it's a date?" Ruby whined, hope still evident in her eyes._

_They decided to read it again, just to be sure._

_"I don't feel the need to be apologized to anymore, as you have done nothing wrong. If having lunch with you will cease your endless expressions of regret, I will meet you at the small Italian bistro across from the street of that ice cream parlor, 11:30 am, 30th of July. Please do not be late."_

_Yang's eyes narrowed in half-pity and half annoyance. "It definitely doesn't sound like a date to me."_

_"Maybe she's just really, really shy?"_

 

* * *

 

"Back then, I couldn't understand why I did what I did. Though I think I know now,” Weiss said, her eyes gleaming with certainty.

"You were different," Weiss said faintly. That word seemed most fitting. "You weren't formal or well-mannered like the other suitors I usually meet. But you weren't fake. You were awkward, and weird, and embarrassing, but you weren't a fake."

Ruby was sure, by the smile of deepest appreciation on Weiss’s face that this was meant to be the highest of compliments, despite the three folds of insults it had come with.

"I'm not saying that I was head over heels for you from then on," she acknowledged. "You know how stubborn I can be. I was simply confused and scared of what I was beginning to feel. And yet, I couldn't stay away from you. So, I settled on the idea of becoming friends, until that option began to run out too.” Weiss let out a soft sigh. “Because you are an unforgettable person, Ruby."

Ruby said nothing, watching as Weiss rummaged for something in her purse. With a determined sort of sigh, Weiss pulled out a small red box. Ruby tore off her mittens, and then carefully, with her fingers, opened it up.

It was a necklace, a thin chain of silver ran down in a V-shape.

In the middle of it was a shiny, bronze penny.

Weiss watched as a small squeal escaped from Ruby's lips, a sign of realization that the girl knew exactly what it was that she carried in her hands.

"Oh my god! Is this? This is! I gave you this when…" Ruby gasped as her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of the ocean.

 

* * *

 

_"So... You're Weiss Schnee, huh?" Ruby asked. The rhetorical question was remarkably candid._

_"I am," Weiss answered shortly, assuming that this girl, too, would become an intolerable phony, discreetly steering the conversation either to subjects of her family wealth or the company she would inherit in the future._

_What the girl did next, however, astounded her._

_"I guess this is gonna sound pretty dumb then." There was a nervous chuckle as Ruby pulled something out of her pocket._

_It was a handful of coins._

_Three pennies and a dime._ _The change she had not bothered to pick up from the counter before leaving the ice cream parlor._

_"You didn't need to give that back," Weiss whispered, eyeing the flat pieces of money in sheer bafflement._

_"Still." Ruby grinned, gently pushing the pile across the table. "For luck, you know?"_

 

* * *

 

"I kept it." Weiss smiled. Her fingers trailed down the line of her neck and pulled out the same charm she’d been wearing all day. “Even know I knew it was stupid, keeping it. But I couldn't throw it out or spend it either. And I'm extremely relieved that I didn't, especially since I was racking my brains on what to get you for Christmas this year. I wasn't going to take your sister's vulgar advice on giving you..."

Weiss paused, shuddering at the memory of Yang's text, which had simply stated "sexy underwear ;)" before being instantly accompanied with a "Just kidding! If I catch you in the bedroom, you're dead, Schnee."

"This seemed appropriate. It’s a good reminder for why I love you, Ruby." The Ice Queen said her next words in the sweetest way possible. "You're a dolt."

"Wow… I..." Ruby couldn't finish, tears threatening to pour out her from happiness and joy. All the insecurities she had felt over the years, the fear of rejection too great to make a move, the terror of having let a drunken mistake threaten the possibility of being even friends, all of it had been single-handedly chased by those three words.

"Sorry. I left your present back at home," Ruby managed to finally say.

“Oh.” Weiss tilted her head. “Well, forget everything I just said then.”

“Ugh, Weiss!” Ruby rubbed her watery eyes. “Yang has not been the best influence on you.”

“What are you talking about?” Weiss smirked. “I have always been witty.”

“Yeah, okay, sure.” Ruby giggled, pulling her closer by the arm. "It’s fine though. You can have me as your dumb gift.”

She stared up at Weiss, who was smiling at her with the fondest look. The world was wrong; blue was the warmest color of all.

Yang had rebuked her for not noticing all the hints before.

She wouldn't miss this one.

This was the signal.

Not waiting for a single second to tick by, Ruby leaned forward, diving in for their long, anticipated kiss.

 

* * *

 

Taking longer than expected due to the weather, it was a few minutes before midnight when they arrived back at Ruby’s house.

The trip back had been rather rowdy. Weiss noted that her Christmas present (and declaration of love) had hyped up Ruby beyond control.

Ruby insisted that she stayed the night, as the roads were frozen solid and too dangerous to travel on. Weiss didn't hesitate to point out that so far Ruby had been the only one to be injured. Even so, it wasn’t a battle Weiss was fighting too hard to win.

Weiss wasn't too nervous about walking inside. She had visited the household prior to today. And above all, Ruby was far too innocent to have meant “staying overnight” as “staying the night. Wink. Wink.”

"Yang! Yang, I'm home!" Ruby shouted as they entered. Her shoulders drooped slightly at the sight of a pitch-dark room. Instead, Zwei, Ruby’s dog, greeted them at the door. His ears were pointing to the floor, a small whimper coming from his throat.

Strange, thought Ruby. She expected Yang to be waiting by the door, pouncing on them both, asking if she had a great time, before dragging Weiss into the corner, repeating the same question but in a slightly more interrogative manner.

Now, it was eerily quiet.

"Yang?" Ruby looked around the living room before checking the kitchen. She found the coffee that Yang had been drinking in the morning, only half-consumed and now as cold as ice. The gift box, she noted, had disappeared from underneath the round table.

Weiss was still in the living room with Zwei. She checked underneath the coat pile and saw that the beer bottles were still there, not a single one opened.

"Ruby?" Weiss also knew it had been odd for Yang not to have been waiting for them. Still, it wasn't as big as a shock for her. Not as much as Ruby, for Ruby knew the proper protocol.

The first time had been when she was fourteen.

She had been asked out by a pretty boy in her class. Yang had been there, the moment they returned from the amusement park, to interrogate the boy and steal bits of her cotton candy.

The second time had been in her freshmen year. An upperclassman had taken Ruby out to a restaurant, but then subsequently became drunk with a couple of his shady friends. Ruby had sent out a distress signal to her sister via text, who promptly arrived at the scene to punch her date in the face and safely bring Ruby home. The rest of the night, Yang called in sick at her part-time job, choosing to comfort her with a box of cookies and jellybeans instead.

The third and last time had been at the night of her senior prom. Yang, a college student at the time, had arrived home early on Friday to spend some time with her sister, as Ruby told her she would not be attending the dance with a date.

However, her sister had walked in on a raunchy make-out session with another girl. Ruby worried that Yang was angry at her for her choice of company. In truth, Yang had simply been upset at the fact that she hadn't been told about it beforehand.

From these past experiences, Ruby was thoroughly informed; the lack of Yang’s presence in the house after a date was as likely as the apocalypse happening tomorrow morning.

Ruby knew. She knew that Yang wouldn't be sleeping right now, but she still had to check. There was nowhere else her sister could be, and she couldn't possibly imagine Yang to have waited this long to leap out of a closet door.

With a feeling of dread in her chest, Ruby rushed upstairs, tripping on the last step before charging into her sister's room.

It was empty.

Her pajamas and slippers were scattered across the carpet. Blankets were dropping down the edges of an unmade bed.

This was all wrong.

Ruby emptied her bottom pockets and found her phone. No notifications or replies. No voicemails, no texts telling her that Yang would be heading out. Nothing. At once, Ruby called her, waiting for a response from a ringing line.

"Ruby, what’s going on?" Weiss shouted as she hastened up the stairs. It wasn't Yang's absence that worried her. It had been the look of unsettling panic on Ruby’s face.

"She's not answering her phone!" Ruby cried out in worry.

"Your sister's an adult. She probably went out to the store or something," Weiss tried to calm her down, to no avail.

"No! You don't understand!" Ruby said anxiously. "She would tell me... She calls. My sister  _always_  calls."

Yang always let her know where she was going. Even during the most meaningless at times, like traveling to the gas station, the news of her sister's whereabouts was something Ruby took for granted.

"She always picks up the phone!" Ruby reasoned as she dialed the number again. "The only time she doesn't pick up the phone is when she's at work and she's definitely not at work right now, so she should pick up the phone! Even when she can't talk she  _at least_  checks her text messages! I don't know why she hasn't- Where is she?"

Weiss didn't know what to say.

She knew from the beginning that Ruby had an exceptionally close relationship with her sister. The basis for this, Weiss presumed, would have been their parents' early departure from their lives.

Ruby told her the story only once to her before, how their mother had passed on shortly after her birth. Their father had gone as well, just as Yang was graduating from high school, forcing her to act as Ruby’s full-time guardian.

These tragic circumstances were good reasons to explain Ruby's overreliance on her older sister. The depth of this emotional dependence, however, hadn't been witnessed by Weiss, until now.

It took all the strength she could muster to settle Ruby down on the mattress of Yang's bed. Ruby continued to obsess over the phone, hardly acknowledging her presence in the room. Weiss was sure she was seconds away from suggesting to call the cops when a loud thud was heard from downstairs. Ruby froze in her arms.

A few seconds passed by.

Another clunking sound. It was unmistakable this time. Ruby sprung back onto her feet, scrambling down the staircase in a flurry of wind. Weiss followed quickly, only to find the front doors still tightly shut. A fumbling of keys was heard from the other side though.

Ruby bounded forward and swung the door open.

Yang stood at the entrance, her keys dropping to the ground as she saw the doors magically open.

Her hair was messier than usual. Her thick golden locks were wet and tangled up by the wind. Possibly from the cold, Yang was pale, white as the snow falling outside. There was a long trail of footsteps tracing behind her.

"Hey, sis!" Yang said quite casually as she walked in, ignoring their looks of disbelief. "Boy, it's chilly out there."

"Where were you?" Ruby wailed loudly, no longer being able to hold her feelings inside.

"...went for a couple of drinks..." Yang mumbled in reply. Her voice had a distinct slur, and the smell of alcohol stung both their noses.

"You're drunk," Ruby quickly noted.

"Yeah... So?" Yang furrowed her eyebrows together in annoyance. She tried to take off her coat, but in midst of doing so, stumbled back onto her bum. "Shit!"

Even with the no-liquor rule in the house, Ruby couldn't stop her older sister, a grown adult, from having a couple of drinks outside. But still, Yang always controlled how much she drank. After all, she was fully aware of how uncomfortable Ruby got when she drank excessively. There were so many signs telling Ruby that there was something wrong with her sister.

"Come on," Ruby grumbled as she tried to help her sister up, but Yang refused, choosing to stay sitting on the cold wet floor. "Yang..."

“Leave me alone,” she mumbled.

"Yang, get up!" Ruby shouted in exasperation. "We'll talk in the morning. Let's get you to bed."

"I'm staying here," Yang replied thickly, earning herself a look of stern disapproval.

"You are not sleeping on the floor," Ruby went on in an uneasy voice. "Please, the ground's cold and you're already freezing-"

"Damn it, Ruby! I can take care of myself!" Yang shouted, baring her teeth towards her sister. "Just grab your stupid girlfriend and go! Leave me alone!"

It grew painfully silent. The whirlwind of emotions had receded into a disconcerting nothingness.

Weiss had been watching carefully from the sidelines. She didn't think she was in a place to share in the family moments yet. It almost felt as if she were intruding on a very private, personal occasion.

But when Ruby had become upset enough to abandon the cause, storming away without a word to either of them and disappearing up the stairs, Weiss knew she had to intervene.

"Why didn't you stay home and drink?" Weiss decided to start off in a friendly tone. “If you didn't like the brand I got you, you could have told me beforehand.”

No answer.

"Yang, please. I’m just trying to be civil with you like you wanted," she tried again, to no avail. Something inside of Weiss snapped. She knew a thing or two about stubborn family members, and this was definitely not the sort of situation she wanted to be in for this evening.

"Yang,” Weiss said, her tone a little sharper, “You’re being a real nuisance here, in case you haven’t noticed.”

Yang's face faltered for a moment, shocked as she stared up at Weiss’s unyielding stance.

"What’d you say?" Yang growled, visibly seething once again.

"I'm not the one who upset Ruby today. You are." Weiss hardened her icy stare. "So _you_ are going upstairs, Yang Xiao Long, and  _you_ are apologizing to your sister who has done nothing but be worried sick about you.”

There was a moment of silence. Weiss wondered if she needed to say more, just as Yang pulled herself up from the ground.

"Fine!" said Yang suddenly, jumping up to her feet.

"Fine!" she repeated, still looking heavily crossed but no longer at the verge of tearing someone apart, limb by limb. Yang finally took off her thick jacket, throwing it ungracefully onto the floor before storming up the staircase.

Weiss stared at her retreating figure. With a long sigh of fatigue, she sank down on the nearby couch, hoping that she had taken the right course of action. She felt something nudge at her ankle. She looked down and saw Zwei staring up at her, as if expecting comfort from the fight that he had to witness.

"Your owners are both crazy," she told him. Then settled in for a round of snuggles.

 

* * *

 

Unbeknownst to Weiss, Yang had sobered up quite a bit by her words. After stomping up the stairs in leftover anger, Yang stopped at the foot of Ruby's room, not knowing what to say or what to do.

"Ugh... I am never getting this drunk again." She groaned, giving herself a painfully deserved slap in the face.

"Ruby?" Yang asked as she knocked a couple times on the door. There was no answer, but Yang knew she didn't want to leave Ruby alone for any longer.

She walked inside, finding her little sister sitting in the shadows, on the far edge of her bed.

Tentatively, she closed the door behind her. "Ruby?"

"What?" Ruby answered, sounding uncharacteristically calm and quiet.

"I'm so sorry, sis. I know you're mad at me. I shouldn't have left without saying anything to you. I know how much you worry," Yang fumbled on. "I shouldn't have drank so much and, god, I really shouldn't have yelled at you. It had nothing to do with you, I swear-"

"Yang," Ruby stopped her. "I'm not mad at you."

"You-You're not?"

Ruby glanced up, silver eyes scrutinizing her through the dark. "I'm concerned."

"What do you mean?" Yang swallowed, lowering her head to hide a sullen expression.

"See? You're doing it again," Ruby accused her. "It's not just today. You _always_  say that everything's okay. You act like you're totally fine when you're not."

"Ruby..."

"And I quit!" Ruby sighed. "I'm sick of pretending not to notice because you might shut me out for good when I do! No, Yang. I'm not doing that anymore. I'm done."

"Ruby, I'm really fine," Yang tried to say lightly. "I had a few drinks with Sun and Neptune, that's all. You know how they get around bars and women..."

But her sister knew better than to believe a word of it. Instead, she stood up and closed the distance between them. The room fell silent as Ruby squeezed her arms around her, nuzzling her nose into Yang's wet sweater.

"Don't make jokes when I ask if anything's wrong. Don't lie to me anymore, okay?" Ruby sniffled. "You take care of me, better than mom and dad ever could, and I love you so much for that. I don't know what would have happened to me if you weren't there."

Yang fell silent as well, unable to imagine how life would be if Ruby hadn't been a part of hers.

"But I'm not a kid anymore," Ruby said, her voice stronger, more fierce. "You don't have to be the older sister who protects me all the time. It's your turn to be the little sister for once."

Yang was too afraid of her own voice to speak. With a sharp intake of breath, she murmured a weak apology.

"Don't be sorry." Ruby shook her head. "Talk."

"...I broke up with Neo," Yang quietly confessed. "Just about a week ago."

Ruby's arms tightened around her waist. “Is that why you’re sad?”

"I don't think so.” Yang bit her lips. “It’s weird. I thought I loved her, but when I saw her with somebody else, it was so easy to give up. I was mad and angry but I wasn't sad.”

Yang struggled to voice all the contradicting thoughts swimming inside of her.

"I'm just afraid that I'm never going to find somebody," she admitted the truth, for the first time in her life. "Somebody that I love so much I would die for them, you know? I keep dating and dating, thinking that  _this_ one is the one but none of them are. And I can’t help but feel lonely, even if I’m with someone. Gosh, Ruby, is there something wrong with me?"

"There’s nothing wrong with you.” Ruby’s voice was firm yet soothing. "You're going to meet that person, Yang. Your soulmate. Maybe you just need to wait for her to find you..."

They stood there for several minutes. Ruby, holding onto Yang as if the sheer force of her hug could make everything stop spinning. Yang drank in the consolation, an understanding that tasted sweeter than any other.

"Holy shit, Ruby.” Yang chuckled faintly. “When did you grow up so much?"

"A long time ago, you big dummy," she huffed.

"Yeah, I guess..." Yang smiled at the end of their embrace. "You'll always be my baby sister though. The best one anyone could ever ask for."

"Are you better now?" Ruby sniffled.

"Much better," she replied, playfully ruffling up Ruby's hair. And this time, it was honest.

"Now, go back downstairs. Weiss is probably growing old waiting for you." Yang smirked. "And tell the Ice Queen to park her carriage in the garage. Otherwise, it's going to be frozen solid in the morning."

Ruby smiled too in return. "Okay."


	4. Chapter 4

**One Year Later**

It was once again the holiday seasons. Groups of people were huddled in the streets, enjoying the peace and serenity of a wintry landscape.

Except, of course, for Yang, who was running very late.

Her phone rang for the third time that evening, and Yang begrudgingly knew that she couldn't possibly delay this any longer. Foreboding the worst, she answered the call.

"Yang! Where the heck are you?" Ruby’s exceptionally loud voice screeched from the other side. She couldn't help herself but duck down in alarm, face swiveling left to right in apology.

"I'm sorry!" Yang said quickly, finding an empty spot in the lobby to talk freely in. "I got held up at work! This guy came in last minute and asked for his tires to get fixed, claiming they got mulled by a bear or something from his honeymoon."

"If that's supposed to be a joke, it's really not that funny," Ruby grunted.

"Oh, come on! The one time I'm actually being serious, you think it's a joke," Yang sighed. "If you saw the claw marks, you would believe me. Damn, I knew I should have taken pictures!"

"Yang!"

"Relax, I'll be there in twenty minutes!" She lied, knowing all too well that it would take at least forty minutes to catch the train and grab a taxi.

"Twenty minutes?" There was another shriek, as Yang lifted the phone away from her ear.

"I promise, next time I'll be the first one there," she swore.

"You better be," Ruby muttered in a disgruntled manner.

"Geez," Yang began jokingly, "You know you’re starting to sound more and more like Weiss every day?"

"I heard that,” drawled another voice. And that, for sure,  _was_  the Ice Queen.

"Oh hello, Weiss!" Yang piped happily. It's been a year since the lovely heiress to the Schnee Company had taken the hands of her clumsy baby sister. At first, Yang had gotten along horribly with the girl, but after a long time, taking into account the regular meetings and intermittent heart-to-hearts the two of them shared, Yang was confident enough to say that they were like blood sisters now, treating each other with love, care, and-

"You're already fifteen minutes late as  _usual_ , and unlike your sister, I have no tolerance for tardiness," Weiss hissed.

Well, they were still working on the patience bit, Yang reasoned.

"Oh! Ksssch! You’re breaking up on me! Kssschkooookuuuh..." Yang acted as though she was going through a tunnel. She put in a short "Bye!" at the end before hanging up the call.

She shoved her phone back into her pocket, deciding not to answer it for another hour. She was just about to walk down to the train platform when she heard laughter from behind.

Yang looked around, curious to find a young woman sitting on a bench to her left. Her orange-reddish hair curled up at the ends of her shoulder and a big pink bow fashioned the back of her head. A pair of bright green eyes stared up at her.

"Blake was right!" The girl giggled. "You  _are_ funny!"

"Uh..." Yang didn't continue, not knowing what to say at this stranger, who had no doubt been eavesdropping on the whole conversation.

"Okay then..." In caution, and in embarrassment, Yang took a step backward.

The redhead waved pleasantly at her, such a casual gesture that Yang found herself doing the same. Today was definitely shaping up to be a weird day for her. Delayed for another minute by the unexpected chit-chat, Yang raced across the train station.

For some bizarre reason, the name Blake stuck to the back of her mind as she ran.

 

* * *

 

"There you are!" Weiss shouted as she opened the doors to her apartment, greeting Yang who had at long last arrived. "You know this is a new record, even for you?"

"Well, you know how much I like competition," Yang said between pants before crushing Weiss in a pain-inducing bear hug. "Happy one year anniversary, princess!"

It was astonishing how Weiss and Ruby had survived a whole year together as a merry couple. Although the actual date of their anniversary – the twenty-fourth of December – was still a week away, the two of them decided to hold a Christmas party a week earlier this year.

"Get off me, you brute!" Weiss huffed as she, less reluctantly than usual, returned the gesture.

"Yup, I love you too!" Yang snuggled in closer as a flustered Weiss tried desperately to end the embrace.

"Sis! You're here!" Ruby ran across the room, hopping out towards the front door. "Come on! I can't stop Sun and Neptune from taking any more jello shots and I know how much you love them!"

"You made jello shots?" Yang turned to Weiss with a puzzled look. She remembered how Weiss had once told her: sugary jelly spiked with pure vodka could hardly be counted as proper food.

"They're red and green," Weiss answered shortly. "I thought they would be festive."

"Aw, princess. You're so sweet." Yang grinned playfully before remembering something she had brought in her bag. "Oh, and before I forget!"

She dug out a small gift box from her bag, terribly wrapped as she had made it herself at work.

"Here, it's... It's a…" Yang's eyes suddenly widened as she gaped at the present in her hand. The pink wrapping paper began to connect with a somewhat distant memory. "Blake!"

"It's a what?" Ruby and Weiss asked in unison.

Without another word of explanation, Yang thrust the present into Weiss's hands.

"No, it's nothing. I just remembered where I heard that name before," Yang muttered as she rubbed the side of her head.

"So, who is this Blake?" Weiss inquired expectantly.

"She's, uh-"

"Oh! Oh! Is she your new girlfriend?" Ruby beamed in speculation. "Are you  _finally_  dating again?"

"What- No! Nothing like that!" Yang furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "And what do you mean by that  _finally?_ "

"You know what I'm talking about." Ruby frowned, giving her sister a knowing glance. "Yang, you haven't gone out on a single date this past year."

"A year? No way!" Yang dismissed it, as if it were the most absurd thing she heard today. "I've gone out plenty of times!"

"You've gone out once with Jaune. Once with Coco. A million times with Sun and Neptune, none of which count as a date in  _this_ universe and... Yeah, you did go out on a date once with that guy who works at the club, but I really don't want to include him in my list of prospects, so..." Ruby concluded, flashing up a total of four fingers. "So correction, dear sister, you've gone 'out' a couple of times, but no, you haven't gone out-out at all."

"Okay, so I may have been in a bit of a dry spell lately." Yang shrugged as she made her way to the punch bowls. "It’s not like I mind."

"I hope you're not just scared of going back out there again," Ruby said honestly as she followed her sister's footsteps. Weiss fell behind, momentarily distracted by the sound of a lamp breaking from across the room.

"Hey!You’re the one said that maybe I should wait for her to find me," Yang wisely quoted her from the past. "So that's exactly what I'm doing."

Ruby rolled her eyes in response. "Well, I didn't think you would take  _that_ part so literally."

"Just go and enjoy the party, sis!" Yang insisted, genuinely as she raised her cup of punch in the air. "Because I am fine!"

And before her sister could prod further on, Yang allowed herself to be engulfed by the crowd. There had been no lies told at the party so far. She didn't feel down at all.

It was because, for the first time since Neo, Yang had found a lead to go on.

Weiss rejoined Ruby, carrying a few cookies tucked into napkins, which the other took with immense gratitude.

"It seems as though Yang gave me a few refrigerator magnets shaped like ice cream cones for Christmas this year," Weiss shared. "I must say, this wouldn't have topped the Frosty the Snowman figurine she got me for my birthday... If she hadn't included this note."

"What's it say?" Ruby wondered out loud.

"Some  _Weiss-_ cream for the Ice Queen." Ruby laughed, watching the small twitch at the corner of Weiss's lips.

"Ah. My sister, the poet."

Sighing, Weiss gently took her partner by the hand. "Are you still worried about her?"

"Nah. I don't think so. Not anymore." Ruby smirked, with a suggestive glint in her eyes. "She has that look in her eyes."

"What look?" To Weiss, Yang's appearance was far from anything atypical. But for Ruby, it was second nature to notice that extra inch at the end of each smile, that extra amount of goof on her sister's face, telling her as clear as day that the blonde was up to no good.

"Lock-down mode!" Neptune shouted before draining his cup down to the last drop. "Yeah!"

"Hey, we just found this awesome noodle stand across the street," Sun mentioned as he sipped some of his own punch. "Want to go grab lunch over there tomorrow?"

"Nope, I can't." Yang grinned. "I’ve got some shopping to do.”

 

* * *

 

It was a far-off shot.

The chances of Blake working at the same place at the same time were slim, close to none, a similar probability as Weiss eating out of a bowl with her hands, Yang assumed.

The idea was quite far-fetched and frankly, a bit stupid. So if she wasn't there, that would be the end of the story. Yang wouldn't bother to search any further for someone who she’d only seen once, during the most inconvenient of times she might add. Yang didn't even know if Blake was interested in women.

But deep down, she was a hopeless romantic, a closet idealist who secretly cooed over stories of star-crossed lovers. And for some reason, Yang’s instincts were telling her to take the odd redhead she met at the train station as some cosmic sign. Counting on fate, Yang made a trip back to the shopping mall.

And thankfully enough, despite all the unfortunate plays that could have occurred, destiny had answered her.

Yang saw, from a short distance away, a woman with jet-black hair and golden eyes, sitting behind the counter. Hurriedly, she squeezed her way into the line, standing by nervously until it was finally her turn.

"Hello," a lackluster voice welcomed her, clashing with the jolly Santa hat sitting on top of her head. "How may I help you today?"

"Hi!" was all that Yang could say before becoming antsy once more.

It took a few seconds for an exhausted Blake to look up. At first, all she saw was a tall young woman, wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans that were much too thin to wear in the middle of winter. Expect, perhaps the warm orange scarf she had draped around her neck. It was not until she peered up at the long mane of yellow hair, bright as the blazing sun that her brain clicked on in recognition.

"Weren't you that girl with the cooler?" Blake couldn't help but ask.

A twinge of red appeared at her cheeks. Then, Yang fervently began to nod, stretching out an open palm for her to shake.

"Hey, Blake! It's me again!" Yang waited a few moments longer for the girl to slowly, and cautiously, shake her hand. But Blake's rather guarded demeanor did little to discourage Yang. She lingered, perhaps, for a little too long.

"So, um, what can I do for you today?" Embarrassed, Blake quickly retracted her hand and returned to her job. Yang gave a small smile as she pulled her backpack over her head and searched inside it. Quickly, she pulled out the first thing she could find, which was conveniently a Christmas present she had bought for Ruby. It was the latest edition of a fantasy-adventure series her sister liked to read.

"No ice cream this time?" Blake finally asked with a smirk. Yang only just noticed the way her eyes rose at the margins, with bluish-purple eye shadow flaring backward. Almost cat-like, she noted.

"Nope." Yang laughed nervously, careful to break the following news. "That didn't work out at all last year."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." Blake frowned. But she couldn't stay distracted for too long, noticing the line forming behind Yang. She cleared her throat, forcing herself to ask. "Well, which pattern would you like me to use?"

"Red. Definitely red." Yang smiled. "It's a gift for my baby sister, and that's her favorite color."

"How old is she?" Blake asked softly as her fingers busily moved to slice out a roll of the parcel.

"Twenty-two."

Blake laughed again. She had expected the sister to be much younger when she used the word "baby." It seemed as though Yang still remained greatly unpredictable in her own peculiar way.

"So..." Yang dragged on, fully aware of the fact that she hadn’t rehearsed any pick-up lines for this meeting. She settled on Blake's face, resolving to shower her with flattery when she noticed the shadowy bags under her eyes.

"You look terrible," she said bluntly. Blake paused, a narrow strip of tape still attached to the corner tip of her finger.

Yang blinked stupidly, realizing how offensive she might’ve sounded.

"I mean, no!" Yang continued on hastily. "I don't mean that you look bad! It's just you look more tired than the last time we met."

Blake grinned, nodding in sluggish agreement. "I guess I am a bit tired."

"Crazy lovers with bear rugs again?" Yang joked, starting to remember.

"Oh, none of that, thankfully. It's just that I've taken over as manager this year. It's a lot more work than I signed up for, but I need the extra cash," Blake sighed, before wordlessly holding up an assortment of long, narrow fabrics for Yang to choose from.

"The black one." She pointed and Blake set off to work again as she placed a dark ribbon on top of the package. "So does that mean I should call you General... Uh... General..."

Yang stammered, realizing that she had no clue what the girl's last name was. Blake looked at her from across the table, seemingly amused.

"Belladonna," she said, smoothly as she turned the book over, crossing the ribbons in a complicated manner. "And no, just the first name is fine."

"Okay then, Blake." Yang smacked her lips together, ready to say something clever and charming.

Except, Yang couldn't find herself uttering a single word. Normally, some flirtatious small talk and winks would have been enough to seal the deal. But everything about this girl screamed composure. She had racked her mind for the passing twenty-six seconds, waiting for a line or two to come along, but nothing had been imagined as Blake looked up, the finished gift pushed towards her side of the table.

"Uh..." Yang took the book in her left hand. "Thanks."

"That will be four dollars." Glumly, Yang passed the girl her exact change before being pushed out of the way. With a loud, audible sigh, Yang walked off. Before leaving, she stole a glance behind her. Blake was already greeting her next customer, a large mustached man with a coffee grinder.

At the last moment, Blake gazed up as well. She found her last customer, now just a figure growing smaller into the crowd. She didn't notice until much later that she hadn't been wearing her name tag.

 

* * *

 

"So, let me get this straight. You're telling us that you stalked this girl you met last year, a girl whom you forced to wrap a decent present for you, just so that you can use it to win back your ex-girlfriend?"

The three of them were huddling around the fireplace. Weiss, lying across Ruby's couch on her stomach, had been the first to make a remark.

"Please don't make it sound like I'm some crazy person," Yang groaned. "And I did not stalk her. Do not use the word stalked."

"I'm speechless."

"Well, _that_ certainly is a first."

"I think it's great!" Ruby interrupted their bickering. She bore an understanding expression, as she had already experienced many of her sister's crazy tactics in the past. "I mean, this isn't even her worst one. Once she tried to impress this girl at her gym by sending-"

"Okay, okay! Let's not go there." Yang cut her off. "The point is that- This is destiny!”

“Oh, of course.” Weiss rolled her eyes. “A random girl you met a year ago just happens to mention the name of another random girl you met a year ago. I’d say it’s destiny at its finest.”

“You can laugh all you want,” Yang narrowed her eyes, “but I say it’s meant to be. I mean, why else would she be at the exact same spot where we last met?”

“Possibly because she’s unemployed?” Weiss pointed out, but Yang chose to ignore her.

“Honestly, I still can’t believe it. I go back to the same place where I met her last year and-Boom, there she is! Looking super..." For a brief period of time, she lost her way with words.

"She's so cool." Yang gulped, feeling the good kind of queasy in her stomach. "Now,  _that's_  fate!"

"Oh, please." Weiss scoffed. "Serendipity has never been kind to either of you."

"It's been pretty nice to me!" Ruby argued, sitting up too quickly. "I got  _you_ , didn't I?"

"Yes... After breaking an arm, hanging around as a friend for more than a year, and getting drunk once at a party... You got me," Weiss added sarcastically. "You're right. We should send serendipity a thank you card this year."

"But we still ended up together!" Ruby maintained her position on the matter. "See! Fate's just a bit sadistic, that's all. It likes to have its fun before matching you up with the perfect one! So, Yang, you're going to march back to that mall tomorrow and you are going to ask that girl out!"

"Right!" Yang nodded fiercely, sharing Ruby's look of hope and determination. Weiss chose to ignore both of them, playing with Zwei and his chew toy instead.

 

* * *

 

"Oh. You're back."

It had been just yesterday when Blake was able to reacquaint herself with the intriguing stranger she’d met last year.

At this point, Blake was sure she used up all her supply of luck, believing she would never have enough fortune to see the blonde again. But the very next day, her mysterious crush had been the first to show up at the counter.

"Hey, Blake!" Yang waved as she walked on over. "How are you doing today?"

"Your name." Blake found herself blurting out by accident.

"Huh?"

"You never told me your name," Blake added quietly.

"Oh, shoot! I never did, did I?" Yang smacked herself quite harshly on the forehead. "I'm Yang! Yang Xiao Long."

"Hello, Yang." Blake played with the name on her lips. "It's nice to see you again."

She saw, what she hoped to be a badly concealed blush on her visitor's face.

"Yeah, you too..." she nervously mumbled.

"So what brings you here today?" Blake offered a welcoming smile, feeling more refreshed than she had been throughout the chaotic week. She watched as the blonde pulled out yet another book from her bag.

"It's for my sister again. I forgot to get this one yesterday." Knowing well which color she needed to use then, Blake cut out a large rectangle of red paper.

But before she could proceed, Blake noticed the book in her hands: The tale of Little Red Riding Hood – reading material hardly age appropriate for an adult.

"It's a gag gift," Yang told her quickly. "I used to read it to her all the time when she was little and that was her favorite story. She's growing old now, but I like to remind her every now and then that she's still my baby sister."

“That’s very sweet of you.” Blake smiled understandingly. “Does she love to read?”

"Oh yeah. She absolutely loves it." Yang laughed. "Although books were never really my thing."

"Ah, I see." Blake knew not all people could share the same interests. Even so, she failed to keep the disappointment out of her voice, leading the smile on Yang's face to falter for a bit.

"I'm guessing you love to read too, huh?" Yang asked sheepishly.

"Well, yes." Blake smiled faintly. "Considering that I'm a writer."

"Wait, seriously?" Immediately, Yang’s eyes widened at her in awe. "That's awesome! What'd you write? Is there anything I would have heard of?"

"No! Not at all!" Blake rushed, turning pink with embarrassment. But Yang, seemingly clueless, kept on asking questions about her published work, forcing Blake to wrap the present so fast she even surprised herself.

“That’ll be four dollars,” Blake cleared her throat.

“Right,” Yang said with a pout. She looked like she might have had something more to say, but another customer chose the moment to cut in and Yang left once again without another word.

 

* * *

 

The door slammed open with a loud bang.

Alarmed, Ruby and Weiss broke away from their heated kiss. Yang had arrived, kicking off her shoes and shedding her coat like a butterfly hatching from a cocoon. Grabbing the shopping bag she had set down on the floor, she ran up the staircase, not forgetting to yell to the couple below her, "Just because it's been a year doesn't mean I want to see that, Schnee!"

The pair shared a mystified glance before chasing Yang up to her room on the second floor. What they saw when they entered was not what they had been expecting at all.

"You're reading?" Ruby asked in shock. Then, she bolted out the door, screaming bloody murder that the world was about to come to an end. Weiss stayed behind, looking more closely at the book in Yang's hands.

"The Fall of Beacon," the title read, by Blake Belladonna.

She gave Yang a look of stunned silence, unable to decide whether she should be impressed or concerned.

"You do know that you try way too hard to get laid?"

"Stop crapping on love, Weiss."

 

* * *

 

By this point, there was no need for any formal greetings. Blake and Yang stared into each other’s eyes, both looking just as amused as the last.

“You know, normal people do all of their Christmas shopping in one day," Blake smirked at her last customer of the evening, "That way, they don't have to make the same trip three days in a row."

"Hey, you're talking to the crazy cooler girl, remember?" Yang pointed at herself with unprecedented pride. "There's nothing I can't do."

"What did you shop for today then?" Blake hummed.

"Actually, I didn't come today to shop," Yang said, brushing down her hair with a tense grin, "or to get any presents wrapped."

Blake hardly blinked, waiting quite patiently for the blonde to finish her sentence.

"I came to ask you if you wanted to go for a cup of coffee now," Yang said in a slow pace, fearing that if spoken too quickly, she would set off a vital organ. Her heart was hammering in her chest, loud enough that she was sure Blake would be hearing it too. "I mean, I never did pay for that first present you put a bow around."

Yang often found herself at the opposite ends of two very different personalities. At times, she was the confident, assertive woman she was proud to be. Other times, not so much... But Ruby had since grown up enough to teach her that love was sporadic. It was unpredictable.

It was all that mattered. Yang knew for sure that the sentiment she was feeling towards this girl was, for now, a strong form of attraction and deep intrigue.

Would it last?

She didn't know.

Would it one day grow stronger to a force so deep she could dare call it love?

She could hardly tell.

At the start, no one knew if their relationships would or would not last. Weiss confessed that she certainly didn't believe Ruby would come to mean so much to her as she does now. And if Yang were to look back on that train ride where she met Neo, she would have never known how messy their ending would be. Now, as a brave little girl once proved to her with a broken arm, Yang would always have to take the risk to find out.

So, Yang watched as Blake smiled at her request.

"That sounds lovely,” she said, her voice quiet and adoring.

Yang smiled, not knowing how exactly four years from now she would be happily married to the woman standing to her right. Not knowing that for every future how-we-met-each-other story told, she would be discrediting Ruby's advice, saying that it hadn't been Blake who found her. She had been the one to find Blake. She simply didn't realize it at the time.


End file.
